GREENVILLE, S.C. (May 4, 2011) – Erwin-Penland (EP), a division of The Interpublic Group’s Hill, Holliday and one of the five largest advertising and marketing firms in the South, was honored by community leaders from around the Upstate of South Carolina last night with the Outstanding Business Award at the 2011 Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards.

Now in its seventh year, the Upstate Diversity Leadership Awards are presented by the Riley Institute at Furman University in Greenville to recognize individuals and organizations for outstanding achievement in promoting diversity.

“We take very seriously our responsibility to embrace an inclusive approach to our business and set a positive example for diversity in our industry and our community,” said EP founder and President Joe Erwin. “All of us at Erwin-Penland are honored and humbled by this recognition, but we realize there is still much work to be done.”

Erwin said the 25-year-old, 275-person company’s approach to diversity is based on the premise that it’s just smart business to build a culture where people from all walks of life feel welcome and valued. The agency’s diversity initiatives are driven by a Diversity & Inclusion Council that strives for economic inclusion through supplier diversity programs while planting seeds to ensure its marketing and advertising work reflects the diversity of its national clients. The council, believed to be the first of its kind among ad agencies in the South, is comprised of a broad spectrum of employees – men and women, seasoned and inexperienced, and encompassing a wide range of ethnicities.

Among the council’s accomplishments are annual employee training sessions with noted diversity consultant Juan Johnson; roundtable conversations among agency leaders to discuss best practices as they relate to diversity and inclusion; and “Just Talk” sessions that engage the entire staff by focusing on how each person can impact diversity and inclusion efforts beyond the hiring process.

Beyond its own walls, EP works to promote diversity by partnering with high school and college mentoring programs, sponsoring minority internships and providing extensive financial and pro-bono support for organizations including the Urban League. Among its contributions is creating a brand identity and communications outreach materials for Greenville’s MLK Dream Weekend, the largest annual celebration of Dr. King’s legacy outside of Atlanta.

Beyond the Upstate of South Carolina, EP has served as a role model for diversity efforts within the advertising industry and helped a variety of clients embrace an inclusive approach to marketing and advertising. In fact, Erwin-Penland won the first EFFIE Award – the nation’s most prestigious accolade for marketing effectiveness – ever bestowed in the Hispanic marketing category. A few years later, EP earned a Gold EFFIE in African-American marketing for its nationwide “How Sweet the Sound” gospel choir competition developed for client Verizon Wireless.

Erwin says that, while advertising agencies nationwide face considerable scrutiny when it comes to promoting diversity, EP relishes the opportunity to lead the way and spark greater awareness of what can be achieved through a commitment to more inclusive business practices.

“Our diversity initiative isn’t about quotas and social engineering,” said Erwin. “It’s about understanding and embracing other cultures so we can be better marketers, better citizens and better role models for future generations.”

About Erwin-Penland
Based in Greenville, S.C., Erwin-Penland (www.erwinpenland.com) is a full-service marketing firm that provides advertising, event marketing, interactive, public relations and strategic planning services to clients including: Verizon Wireless, Denny’s, Lockheed Martin, BI-LO Supermarkets and Advance America. The 275-person firm is part of Boston-based Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos Inc., one of the nation’s largest ad agencies and a member of The Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG).